HF 925

2nd Engrossment - 86th Legislature (2009 - 2010) Posted on 02/09/2010 01:42am

A bill for an act
relating to employment; expanding the official measure of unemployment;
requiring a report; directing use of certain appropriations; amending Minnesota
Statutes 2008, section 116J.401, subdivision 2; proposing coding for new law
in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 116J.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 116J.401, subdivision 2, is amended to
read:

Subd. 2.

Duties.

The commissioner of employment and economic development
shall:

(1) provide regional development commissions, the Metropolitan Council, and
units of local government with information, technical assistance, training, and advice on
using federal and state programs;

(2) receive and administer the Small Cities Community Development Block Grant
Program authorized by Congress under the Housing and Community Development Act of
1974, as amended;

(3) receive and administer the section 107 technical assistance program grants
authorized by Congress under the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as
amended;

(4) receive, administer, and supervise other state and federal grants and grant
programs for planning, community affairs, community development purposes,
employment and training services, and other state and federal programs assigned to the
department by law or by the governor in accordance with section 4.07;

(5) receive applications for state and federal grants and grant programs for planning,
community affairs, and community development purposes, and other state and federal
programs assigned to the department by law or by the governor in accordance with section
4.07;

(6) act as the agent of, and cooperate with, the federal government in matters of
mutual concern, including the administration of any federal funds granted to the state to
aid in the performance of functions of the commissioner;

(7) provide consistent, integrated employment and training services across the state;

(8) administer the Wagner-Peyser Act, the Workforce Investment Act, and other
federal employment and training programs;

(9) establish the standards for all employment and training services administered
under this chapter and chapters 116L, 248, 268, and 268A;

(10) administer the aspects of the Minnesota family investment program, general
assistance, and food stamps that relate to employment and training services, subject to the
contract under section 116L.86, subdivision 1;

(11) obtain reports from local service units and service providers for the purpose of
evaluating the performance of employment and training services;

(12) as requested, certify employment and training services, and decertify services
that fail to comply with performance criteria according to standards established by the
commissioner;

(13) develop standards for the contents and structure of the local service unit plans
and plans for Indian tribe employment and training services, review and comment on those
plans, and approve or disapprove the plans;

(14) supervise the county boards of commissioners, local service units, and any other
units of government designated in federal or state law as responsible for employment and
training programs;

(15) establish administrative standards and payment conditions for providers of
employment and training services;

(16) enter into agreements with Indian tribes as necessary to provide employment
and training services as appropriate funds become available;

(17) cooperate with the federal government and its employment and training
agencies in any reasonable manner as necessary to qualify for federal aid for employment
and training services and money;

(18) administer and supervise all forms of unemployment insurance provided for
under federal and state laws;

(19) provide current state and substate labor market information and new text begin official new text end
forecasts, in cooperation with other agencies new text begin . The commissioner must also collect,
analyze, and produce labor market information as provided for in section 116J.4011 new text end ;

(20) require all general employment and training programs that receive state funds
to make available information about opportunities for women in nontraditional careers
in the trades and technical occupations;

(21) consult with the Rehabilitation Council for the Blind on matters pertaining to
programs and services for the blind and visually impaired;

(22) enter into agreements with other departments of the state and local units of
government as necessary; and

(23) establish and maintain administrative units necessary to perform administrative
functions common to all divisions of the department.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment.
new text end

Sec. 2.

new text begin [116J.4011] EXPANSION OF MEASUREMENT OF UNEMPLOYED
AND UNDEREMPLOYED MINNESOTANS.
new text end

new text begin (a) By July 1, 2010, the commissioner of employment and economic development
shall design and implement a comprehensive measure of unemployment and
underemployment in the state to be used by the Labor Market Information Office within
the Department of Employment and Economic Development to analyze and produce
estimates of total unemployment. The measurement required under this section is in
addition to methods currently utilized by the commissioner to produce official forecasts
and must include, but is not limited to, data on workers who are employed on a part-time
basis but would prefer and accept full-time employment if it was available, and those who
are currently unemployed and not actively seeking employment due to impediments
to work including the lack of child care or transportation. The new measurement must
also include information on state and substate unemployment and underemployment and
the incidence of unemployment and underemployment across demographic categories
including but not limited to race, age, and gender. The commissioner must report monthly
to the chairs and ranking minority members of the committees of the senate and house of
representatives having jurisdiction over workforce issues on the most recent monthly state
unemployment rate under both the traditional measure, commonly referred to as the U-3
measure, and the measure required to be designed by this section.
new text end

new text begin (b) The comprehensive measure required in paragraph (a) may utilize information
from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Population Survey and the
United States Census Bureau American Community Survey as the base for identifying,
evaluating, and utilizing correlations with other relevant data to be used in econometric
modeling of measures of unemployment and underemployment.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment.
new text end

Sec. 3. new text begin USE OF APPROPRIATION.
new text end

new text begin Up to $120,000 of the money available to the commissioner of employment and
economic development from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009,
Public Law 111-5, for administration of the unemployment insurance program must be
used to implement this section.
new text end